Well, it's another T-Day. I heard on a new cast earlier this week that being thankful for something makes you happier. I don’t know how true this is being that I am just glad to be an American with a roof over my head and food in my belly. Isn’t being happy all relative, if you think about it closely? I can be happy when sweets touch my lips; a moment of bliss. Problem is, that bliss really only is for a moment. You can strive for more lasting bliss, like love. But even that has an expiration date. I guess the only way to be happy is to just live moment to moment. Honestly, the news piece about being thankful prolonging your life with happiness could’ve simply been a thanks giving theme inspired news cast; or maybe, this is just another example of how much power words have. I know this for sure, the power of those magic words our parents teach us at so young an age, really are magic. Please and thank you.
Yesterday, I was in line to get food at a fast food place. I didn’t go there because the food was good. I wanted fast service. Life is ever moving and you either keep up or get left behind. After watching several people order and pay in the line next to me, I finally decided to speak up to the couple in front of me. Instead of a rude “What’s the hold up?” I pulled out my wallet and started digging through some ones and fives as I asked “How short are you, I can cover it.” To me, this could be the only logical hold up because I saw them order already. He replied no thanks, rather angry and I retorted on the large line forming. I wouldn’t say this was a great interaction, more like my impatience getting the best of me. Not 10 minutes later, that same man sits down at my table and talks to me. You can imagine the look of horror on my face as I am slowly inserting a deep fried potato into my mouth… He says to me “I just had to come over and talk to you. I wanted you to know that I was in a bicycle vehicle accident this morning and I have been very slow moving all morning. Everyone has been rude and yelling at me to hurry up. But you were the first person to offer help and I am thankful. I needed to tell you that it made me cry and I was truly appreciative.” I think I said I am sorry 3 times with my eyes just growing bigger and bigger. I don’t know if I was in more shock that this stranger was speaking to me, or that he was making me out to be this saint. In reality, I thought that the offer to pay would get him out of line faster. I didn’t do it because I thought he needed the money. I didn’t say this to him, because I didn’t want to ruin the moment. We said happy T-day to one another and that was the end.
I sat on the bus a little while later and cried a little. I had the beginnings of a horrible day and here comes this man to put my life in perspective. No matter how shitty my day, there is always someone else who has it worse. It’s times like these that I curse being born a sheltered American white female with no sense of hard ship and poverty. I don’t know how it feels to starve or how it feels to worry about a roof over my head. I don’t know how it feels to think “Today is probably my last day.”
So this is what I am thankful for. That there are other people here to put in my place. Remind me that I was the lucky one and I better not forget it. I am truly sorry, man that I met at the fast food restaurant. I am sorry that I assumed your life was like mine and that you were simply choosing to be an ass by taking for ever. I wish this lesson could last, but I also know, that you can only live from moment to moment.
Happy T-day all!
